University of Arizona sleep researcher, Dr. Moran Serf has developed a method to pinpoint particular parts of the human brain that become active when a patient thinks about certain subject matters. Patients were shown images of familiar things–celebrities, politicians, famous landmarks–and the research team was able to detect specific neurons that were activated in their brain. For example, the team was able to lock-down a specific neuron that would activate every time one patient thought of Marilyn Monroe.

Theoretically, this technology could be developed to give doctors a running narration of what a sleeping patient is dreaming about. To do so, a large enough database of subject matter and corresponding neural activity would have to be created for each patient. Then, as the patient sleeps and neurons fire off while a dream is happening, a running tally of subjects, concepts, and people in the dream could be kept.

Kind of like a Twitter feed of your deep dark subconscious.

That kind of technology is quite a way off. But if the science is right and consistent, it will absolutely exist one day. Which may lead to a wide range of possibilities: some hopeful, some frightening. On the side of good, this tech could be used as a powerful mental therapeutic tool. It could also be used to help so-called “locked-in” patients communicate with the world–those in a coma, with severe brain trauma, or with other maladies.

On the dark side: this technology will definitely be of interest to militaries and other covert agencies around the world to extract information from those not willing to give it up. It could also be used as a powerful new form of blackmail. Like keeping a diary against your will. Scary.